In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Amanda Griffin, vice president of engagement and education for USHBC/NABC. Cronquist and Griffin discuss how blueberry industry events have evolved throughout the years, and why gatherings like The Blueberry Convention, October 8-10 in Seattle, are must-attend for knowledge building, networking and more.

“We wanted to focus on how to get the most out of what the event is by having relatable content, Blueberry Lane and the meetings all in one spot . Rather than doing that twice a year, let’s just do it once. The other fun piece to this is it allowed for us to open up resources to do more of what we are hearing the industry wanted … for us to come to them.” – Amanda Griffin

Topics covered include:

• The evolution of USHBC events and how they’ve grown and expanded over the years.
• What to expect at this year's Blueberry Convention, including new content and standout elements to get excited about.
• Increased excitement around Blueberry Lane and Blueberry Row.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, Mario Ramirez in Mexico, Brody Schropp in Michigan and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on July 31, 2025.